


The Moments Which Follow

by Glass_O_Lemonade



Category: DCU
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-23 11:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3766759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glass_O_Lemonade/pseuds/Glass_O_Lemonade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A trio of short pieces I wrote last year on Tumblr.</p><p>After an accident at Ferris Aircraft, Hal and Barry must adjust to their new lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Seeing is Believing

**Author's Note:**

> This contains the loss of a limb, so if that bothers you in any way feel free to visit a different fic.

“Hell. It’s really gone.”

Barry peered at his fiancé’s best friend. “What did you think I meant over the phone, Ollie?”

The archer considered Barry’s question. The two men stood outside Hal’s hospital room. The pilot was presently dosed up on pain medication and too delirious to form an intelligent thought. Finally, Ollie shrugged and simply said, “Well, definitely not this.”

Some time passed before anyone spoke again, both of their thoughts were focused on the man behind the glass window. Ollie decided to break the silence first.

“At least it was his left arm.”


	2. Slip of the Tongue

“Hey, Beautiful.” Hal grinned up from his hospital bed, his brown eyes meeting Barry’s blue ones.

“Not now.” Barry lightly chastised his fiancé. “You’re still too dosed up on meds to even lift your arm-” Barry’s eyes widened at his careless mistake.

“Ha! That’s hilarious!”

“Hal, I didn’t mean to- I wasn’t thinking. It just slipped-” he tried to apologize, but Hal continued to cackle uncontrollably. Barry narrowed his eyes at the other man’s amusement. “It isn’t funny. Losing your arm isn’t something to joke about.”

Apparently, Hal’s medication thought otherwise.


	3. Mayonnaise, Explicits, & Reassurances

The explicit rang through the whole house.

Barry immediately rushed into the kitchen. There stood Hal near a counter with an unopened jar of mayonnaise and the refrigerator door open. A loaf of bread and a packet of turkey slices lay before him on the counter.

“Hal?”

“I can’t open this effing thing!”

“I can see that.” Barry said. The blond made his way over to the refrigerator and gently shut the door.

“I was going to do that once I opened this.”

Barry ignored Hal’s comment and strolled over to stand behind him. He was still attempting to twist off or pull off the jar’s lid with his right hand, and only his right hand. Barry sighed at the sight.

“I thought we agreed you would use your ring to-” Barry started, but before he could finish his thought Hal interrupted him.

“I don’t need my ring for this. It’s a mayonnaise jar for Christ’s sake.”

Barry could only watch the entire ordeal for so long before he felt the need to speak up again. “Hal, I could open that for you.”

“No, Barry. I got this.” Hal said through gritted teeth.

The speedster mentally sighed. He figured this would happen at some point.

When Hal was still in the hospital and his medications finally wore off he appeared to handle the news of his missing left arm quite well, but Barry knew that Hal couldn’t keep up the _everything-is-dandy_ façade for long. Though, he didn’t predict that it would happen in their kitchen and due to a jar of mayonnaise, no less.

Hal released a few choice words under his breath before he finally slammed the jar down on the counter. Slowly, Hal turned around to face Barry, who waited for him to gather his thoughts.

“I’m going to get a prosthetic arm. I am. I just wanted time to… adjust.” Hal’s right hand motioned towards the now empty space on the left side of his body. “I needed to reassure myself that I was still capable… Still capable without the ring. Well,” Hal shut his eyes, “I got that answered now.” His shoulders sagged in defeat, his head slightly bent forward.

_Jordan, this is your life now. Discharged from the Corps. Off the league. He’s going to leave, too._

“Damn mayonnaise.” He grumbled out.

Then it clicked for the speedster. Yes, he was upset about the incident at Ferris Aircraft. Yes, he was worried that his brief leave from the league and Oa would become permanent. Yes, the jar pissed him off. However, none of those things struck the core of his insecurities.

Barry now knew exactly what to say in response to Hal’s explanation. What he would always tell him. The truth.

“Hal, your worth isn’t judged on whether or not you can open a jar of mayonnaise.”

Hal’s eyelids immediately lifted at Barry’s statement. He lifted his head, his eyes gazed directly into Barry’s. All of his fears and insecurities were clearly displayed in those two brown orbs. Barry’s blues merely held comfort, compassion, and understanding.

“I don’t love you any less. I will never love you any less. I’d still be here even if you decided against a prosthetic. Hell, if you were bedridden for the rest of your long life I’d still be here.”

By now Barry had crossed what little distance was between them; his arms wrapped themselves around Hal and pulled him into an embrace.

In a whisper Barry told him, “Hal, I’m not going anywhere.”

And that’s how the two stayed. For how long only time itself knows.


End file.
